The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-23
The Sunday School.
-N-<AN<-
LESSON FOR MAY /, 1887.
BY REV. ROBERT L. POLK.
ISRAEL In EGYPT.
Exodus j. 6-14.
EXODUS.
Exodus j. 6-14.]

The book of Exodus derives its name from
its principal contents-the departure, or Ego
ing FORTH" of the Israelites from Egypt
Exodus is the Anglicized Greek WORD
which means exit, or departure, and is the
name of the Greek translation (Septuagint)
of the second book of the Pentateuch. Ii
gives an account of the first stage in the full
flment of the promise made to the patri-
archs with reference to the growth of the
children of Israel into numerous people,
their deliverance from Egypt, and their Or
ganization into nation, as the peopleaof
COP, to be governed by laws from Him de-
livered by Moses, His servant whom He had
raised up to be prophet, mighty in words
and deeds. 1t begins with brief mention
of the sons of Jacob, who settled in Egypt
and became heads of the tribes of Israel,
and closes with the building of the taberna-
Gle in which GoD should dwell and manifest
His presence as the Ruler and Guide of Is
rael. Its history is closely connected with
the death of Joseph, who, under GoD, was in
strumental in determining the beginning of
their national life through their favorable
settlement in the land of Egypt. AS Genesis
is called the Book of Creation, Exodus may
properly be called the book of Redemption.
1t records the redemption of Israel from
Egyptian bondage to become the servant of
GoD in enlightening the nations, which is a
Scriptural type of the redemption of man.
kind (the creation) from the bondage of sin
and death (corruption) into the liberty of the
glory of the children of COP.
That the book of Exodus contains sub
stantially the records of real history, and
that Moses was its original author, as has
been generally believed from very ancient
times, has not been successfully contradict
ed by the well established results of mod
ern destructive criticism. That its present
contents include compilations not contained
in the original Mosaic document, and even
additions made by later compilers and the
final editor (reddcteur) may not be doubted
The Exodus is the great national epic of
the Hebrew life; the great central religious
consciousness of the past, to which gradually
gathered, as ages passed, much which did not
belong to them-exaggeratlon5, dlscolora-
tions, etc; and yet through the legends and
traditions we can read back to the great spir-
itual and historical features of the life and
work of Moses. Kuenan land by Kuenan
must be understood that whole stratum of
modern criticism which he represents admits
"some Exodus" and I" some Noses" i.
He accepts the Ten Commandment, and |
say, give me these, even, and we must ac-
knowledge Moses to be one of the grandest
of religious teachers" But this is not all. The
general features of the story in which they
are the central light remain. 1t is absurd to
suppose that whole retrospect to the great
religious work of Moses to be the creation of
an after age. So we may turn to the
Hebrew epic with confidence in the main his
torical fact, and the main religious coloring
of it.-Rer. Brooke Herford, Normal Glass
Lecture.